This tri-color quinoa bowl recipe is great for the whole family and makes a perfect weeknight meal. It is ready in less than 30 minutes. To make it a complete meal, serve it with my whole tilapia recipe.
If you can’t smell this dish, let me tell you: it smells like summer. It’s gluten-free and packed with protein, fiber, and vitamins.
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Eating healthy makes me feel like I'm living my best life, like chilling on the beach with a mimosa. Can you tell? I need a vacay!
💛Reasons to Fall in Love With this Tri-color Quinoa Bowl Recipe
- Like my acheke recipe, it is quick to whip up and easy to make with minimal effort.
- It is lunch box friendly, both for kids and adults alike.
- This recipe is packed with nutritious ingredients, checking off most of the daily recommended vegetable intake.
- For an added bonus, I share one of my favorite vinaigrette dressings to complement this salad. But, of course, feel free to use any other dressing you like, and I bet it’ll taste just as good.
📃Ingredient Description
For the tri-color quinoa recipe, you need the following ingredients:
- Quinoa: I prefer using colored quinoa because it's chewier and richer in taste than the white variety. Its subtle nutty flavor complements a variety of ingredients.
- Fresh vegetables: To balance the texture, I used a combination of soft and crunchy vegetables: carrots, tomatoes, onion, English or Persian cucumbers, and corn.
- Herbs: fresh dill adds a distinctive taste to the salad bowl. Combined with the vinaigrette, it's so darn flavorful.
- Mango: this not only adds sweetness, it adds a nice texture and flavor as it will be charred before adding to the rest of the ingredients.
Ingredients for the Vinaigrette
To make a delicious vinaigrette, you will need the following ingredients:
- Extra virgin olive oil adds a rich and smooth texture to the vinaigrette, with a subtle fruity and peppery flavor.
- Vinegar: Apple cider provides natural sweetness and tanginess, while balsamic vinegar adds a sweet and slightly acidic taste, enhancing the vinaigrette's overall richness.
- Dijon mustard: This flavorful and creamy mustard adds a sharp and tangy kick to the vinaigrette, as well as helping to emulsify the ingredients.
- Garlic powder: Aromatic and savory, garlic powder brings a mellow garlic flavor to the vinaigrette without the harshness of raw garlic.
- Lemon juice: The bright and zesty citrus flavor of freshly squeezed lemon juice adds a refreshing and tangy note to the vinaigrette, brightening the overall taste.
💭Variations and Substitutions
📝Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: rinse the quinoa under water (possibly in a colander). Once it is clear in color, transfer it into a pot and cook.
Step 2: add the oil and fluff the quinoa with a fork to separate the grains once the quinoa is cooked.
Step 3: Place the chopped vegetables, including the grilled mangoes and cooked quinoa, into a wide bowl and toss well.
Step 4: Once mixed with the vinaigrette, pour it gently into the bowl and combine before serving.
Feel free to use whatever you have or add ingredients like your favorite salad. There are many delicious combinations; sample and see what you fancy.
👩🏽🍳Maur's Tips
- Save time and make the dressing ahead.
- Cook the quinoa ahead and store it in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.
- Prep the add-ons and store them in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
- Depending on the type of quinoa, rinsing may be necessary to remove the bitter taste, but boxed quinoa is pre-rinsed. Rinsing can affect the texture and taste, so it's up to you. For perfect quinoa, use a 2:1 ratio of quinoa to water.
📝Recipe FAQS
You can add a variety of ingredients to the tri-color quinoa bowl, such as beans (black, kidney, pinto, northern), chickpeas, roasted butternut squash, or potatoes, olives, broccoli, cabbage, avocados, apples, walnuts, pistachios, pomegranate, basil, snap peas, strawberries, and feta cheese crumbles, among others.
Love Easy Appetizers? Here are Appetizers to try:
There you have it! Fresh-tasting, crunchy quinoa salad will surely get the ooh-la-la's in your next gathering.
Have you given this recipe or any other from my website a try? Please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and sharing your experience in the 📝 comments section. Your feedback means the world to me, and I'm excited to hear from you!
PEACE & LOVE
Maureen
Peace & Love
Maureen
📖 Recipe
Tri-color Quinoa Bowl
Equipment
- Grill pan or cast iron skillet
Ingredients
FOR THE VINAIGRETTE DRESSING
- 4 tablespoons Extra virgin olive oil
- 4 tablespoons Apple cider
- 1 ½ teaspoons Balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon Garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Freshly squeezed lemon juice.
- ½ Teaspoon Honey or maple syrup (vegans substitute.)
FOR THE QUINOA BOWL
- 1 Mango, peeled, pitted, and cut in half (Fully ripe is best, NOT OVERLY RIPE).
- 1 cup Quinoa
- 1¾ cups Water or broth (2 cups is fine, I prefer the texture when I use less)
- ⅓ cup Chopped onion (about one small onion)
- ½ cup Cooked corn (from one corn hub)
- ½ cup Chopped carrots (from 2 medium-sized carrots)
- ⅓ cup Chopped English cucumber
- ½ cup Grape tomatoes, halved
- A handful of fresh dill ( cilantro is fine, too)
Instructions
FOR THE VINAIGRETTE DRESSING
- Combine all the ingredients for the dressing in a bottle or mason jar with lid, and shake vigorously until well combined. Set aside.4 tablespoons Extra virgin olive oil, 4 tablespoons Apple cider, 1 ½ teaspoons Balsamic vinegar, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon Garlic powder, ½ teaspoon Salt, ¼ teaspoon Ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon Freshly squeezed lemon juice., ½ Teaspoon Honey or maple syrup
FOR THE QUINOA BOWL
- Spray a heavy bottom grilling pan with cooking spray and place over high heat. Place the mango (flat side down) onto the pan and cook for 5 minutes or until the mango is slightly caramelized. Remove from heat, and allow to cool before chopping. Set aside.1 Mango, peeled, pitted, and cut in half
- Pour the quinoa into a mesh strainer and rinse under running water (if using bulk) for a few seconds.1 cup Quinoa
- In a medium saucepan, add quinoa, water or broth, and salt. Bring to a boil uncovered on high heat. Reduce heat to the lowest setting, cover and simmer for 12-15 minutes. Remove from heat, pour in olive oil and fluff with a fork.1¾ cups Water or broth
- Toss the chopped onion, corn, carrots, cucumber, tomatoes, dill, and quinoa in a medium-sized bowl and set aside. Pour the dressing over the quinoa salad or serve immediately.⅓ cup Chopped onion, ½ cup Cooked corn, ½ cup Chopped carrots, ⅓ cup Chopped English cucumber, ½ cup Grape tomatoes, halved, A handful of fresh dill
Notes
- It’s best not to mix the dressing with the quinoa bowl until you are ready to serve.
- Store any leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days
- Store any leftover quinoa in the freezer for up to a week.
- Serve alongside my air fryer whole tilapia recipe for a filling meal.
- The dressing is great on its own, but if you have a sweet tooth, try adding honey or maple syrup to take it up a notch. I've experimented with this cashew sauce and it was amazing. Your call!
- beans (black, kidney, pinto, northern)
- chickpeas, roasted butternut squash, or potatoes
- olives, broccoli, cabbage, avocados, apples, walnuts, pistachios, pomegranate, basil, snap peas, strawberries, feta cheese crumbles etc.
Ritu Sharma says
Wow this looks delicious! I’ll make sure to try it out soon, although I doubt it will come as good as yours;)
Maureen Celestine says
It should come out as good, Ritu. Summer veggies are naturally beautiful. Please let me know how you like it. Share with me on Instagram #worldlytreat.
Steph says
Looks delicious
huda says
omg i love how colorful the bowl is! seems simple to make. thanks for sharing 🙂
Maureen Celestine says
Easy -peezy, Huda. thanks for stopping by.
Lipstick Nomads says
We've been looking for new recipes to try. This looks like a delish and easy-to-make one, perfect for lunch!
Maureen Celestine says
I am glad you found us, Lipstick Nomads. It's very easy to put together, you'd want to pack it for lunch every time, I guarantee it. 🙂
Alexandra Michelle says
This looks yummy! I think it would be a great idea for my girls since the colors will make it an attractive dish. Thanks for sharing!
Maureen Celestine says
You are so right, Alexandra. I guess the beautiful color, and the vinaigrette was what got my little one hooked. I hope your girls give you a big thumbs up 🙂
Chelsea says
Thanks for the healthy dinner idea! Can’t wait to try it out!
Maureen Celestine says
It's my pleasure, Chelsea. Thanks for stopping by.
Alex Aitken says
Really love this one. My girlfriend is a big fan of quinoa so we'll try do this together!
Maureen Celestine says
That's great, Alex. I hope you enjoy the quinoa bowl. Thanks
Bree says
This looks so tasty! I have been trying to make new dishes for the family so I am definitely going to make this one for them!
Mijia Eggers says
Fruit can change the food taste dramatically. I love to use Mango for my recipes as well.
Annabel O says
My quinoa salads are always so basic - I need to try this!
Sandra says
This looks amazing! I love quinoa, but my family is not of like mind. I have always served it as a warm side though. I am going to try this recipe and see if I can sway them!
Maureen Celestine says
Fingers crossed, Sandra. Enjoy!
Geraline Batarra says
That looks really nice..! I love quinoa, your recipe sounds really delicious I will try it..
Sondra Barker says
This looks like the perfect health cleanse I need! So healthy and so delicious! -Sondra Barker
Jeannette (Jay Joy) says
This totally looks like the ultimate healthy quinoa salad! I love quinoa and would love to try this.
Alexandra Cook says
That looks so amazing! I will have to try this with my family. I can’t wait to try it! I bet it’s going to be delicious.
Mudpie Fridays says
This looks so yummy and easy to make. I’m always looking to spice up my cooking skills and recipes choices. Thanks for the new addition.
Crystal (The Busy Mom Diary) says
This looks like a great recipe for the summer.
twinspirational says
I have never seen a grilled mango before.. That's phenomenal..! I bet it tastes so great.. 😊
Kalyan Panja says
Thanks for sharing this interesting recipe and such attractive dish to cheer ourselves after so many pulls and pressures of the day.
Iva says
Amaizing salad. It's looks so yummy. Have to try it this summer.
Justyna Butler says
I love easy and yummy recipes! This looks so good!
Agnes Vazhure says
This Quinoa Bowl recipe looks really delicious. I will absolutely try this for sure my mom would love this.
GladysNava says
Oh my goodness! I am sure that the taste was really good! It makes me hungry! YUM!
Shelby says
You know something so full of beautiful color will be delicious and healthy for you too! This looks amazing!
ELIZABETH SPINNATO says
This turned out beautifully. The only problem I experienced was grilling the mango, it basically turned to mush when I tried to cut after I grilled it. It was very ripe, so that could have been an issue. However, I had purchased a backup mango which was not as ripe, so I left it ungrilled, and placed in bowl. It truly was a wonderful bowl! I added a little Jalapeno for a slight kick, it definitely made it flavorful. The vinaigrette was incredible! I will definitely use this recipe again. Thank you so much!!
Maureen Celestine says
I am so glad to hear that it turned out well for you, Elizabeth. You are right; an overly ripe mango will be too mushy to slice, I should emphasize a 'firm ripe" mango. Thanks for the honest feedback 🙂